Board game apparatus

ABSTRACT

A game apparatus having a game board with four vertical walls and a substantially horizontal platform spaced downwardly from the top of said walls and attached thereto to form a well into which water is poured. The grid within said well has its open network vertically oriented with the vertical height of the walls of the grid being less than the depth of said well. A plurality of spacers in the bottom of the well maintain the bottom surface of the grid in a spaced relationship from the bottom of the well and allows water poured into the well to seek its own level in each of the cells of the grid without the necessity of individually filling each cell. The horizontal platform is also positioned upwardly from the bottom of the vertical walls to form a cavity in the bottom of the playing board. In each of the vertical walls there is an aperture that communicates with the cavity and into which is inserted a playing stick having a magnet mounted at its tip. The stick is used to strike the bottom surface of the platform, and the magnet serves to recover the metallic markers when the stick is removed from the aperture. After the well has been filled with water up to a level even with the top of the grid wall members, a water absorbent playing cover sheet is placed thereon. The playing piece markers are then positioned in their respective playing areas and the game is ready to be played.

, [72] Inventor:

United States Patent Rattey, Jr.

[ BOARD GAME APPARATUS Wilfred H. Rattey, Jr., 1 Laurel Lane, Cumberland, R.l. 02864 221 Filed: Feb. 1, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 111,492

[52] US. Cl. ..273/l34 AE, 273/131 AD, 273/131 B,

273/134 B, 273/134 G, 273/136 R [51] Int. Cl. ..A63f 3/00 [58] Field of Search ..273/l3l, 134, 136, 94 R l 56 References Cited Primary Examiner-Delbert B. Lowe Attorney-Barlow and Barlow [57] ABSTRACT A game apparatus having a game board with four ver- [451 Oct. 17,1972

tical walls and a substantially horizontal platform spaced downwardly from the top of said walls and attached thereto to form a well into which water is poured. The grid within said well has its open network vertically oriented with the vertical height of the walls of the grid being less than the depth of said well. A plurality of spacers in the bottom of the well maintain the bottom surface of the grid in a spaced relationship from the bottom of the well and allows water poured into the well to seek its own level in each of the cells of the grid without the necessity of individually filling each cell. The horizontal platform is also positioned upwardly from the bottom of the vertical walls to form a cavity in the bottom of the playing board. In each of the vertical walls there is an aperture that communicates with the cavity and into which is inserted a playing stick having a magnet mounted at its tip. The stick is used to strike the bottom surface of the platform, and the magnet serves to recover the metallic markers when the stick is removed from the aperture. After the well has been filled with water up to a level even with the top of the grid wall members, a water absorbent playing cover sheet is placed thereon. The playing piece markers are then positioned in their respective playing areas and the game is ready to be played.

5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTEDom 11 I972 F-IG.2

v INVENTOR WlLFRED H. RATTEY, JR.

ATTORNEYS BOARD GAME APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the field of amusement games and more particularly to a new game of chance and skill. The game is designed for the use of both young and old and it fosters and encourages the development of strategy in each of its players. In the past, few games have made use of game boards that swallow up the playing pieces as they are captured or taken out of play. Previously none has ever been known where the playing pieces drop through a water absorbent playing cover sheet into a water bath when the membrane sections become weakened and rupture over the individual drop slots. The apparatus and rules of this game invention are truly unique and present a concept in games never known before.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The name of the game is ZAPEM and it may be played by two or more persons. Its objective is for each player to attempt to reduce and eliminate all the playing pieces of his opponents with the winner being the player who has one or more pieces remaining when all the oppositions playing pieces have fallen through the playing surface.

Initially the game board is prepared by placing it on a level surface and inserting the grid section in its proper position. Water is then poured into the well within the game board until the grid is completely covered by a very thin film of water. At this time a water absorbent playing cover sheet is placed in the game board upon the thin film of water formed just above the top of the grid section. By using a rolling motion from one side to the other a perfectly positioned playing cover is obtained with no air pockets under the playing cover.

The playing piece markers of each player are then placed gently upon their respective starting positions around the periphery of the playing cover. Each player has a set of playing piece markers of a different color with all the different colored sets of playing piece markers all having a common color on their bottom surface. A roll of the die is used to determine which player is to go first with play continuing clockwise from the starter. The moves of each player are restricted while his playing piece markers remain in the status of pawns, that is, until they reach the center position on the grid at which time they become warriors. Pawns may only move forward and then only straight ahead or diagonally in one direction per move. Lateral moves are not permissible. Also the pawn movement is restricted to the confines formed by the triangles defined by diagonal lines extending into the center position of the grid from the corners of each players starting positions. A player whose pawn exceeds the limits of his territorial triangle is required to return the pawn to his starting line. To move any of the pawns onto the center position requires an exact roll of the needed number of the die. Pawns may not jump over other pieces of the same or opposing color. After a pawn has reached the center position the playing piece marker is turned over which designates it as a warrior. It is then placed upon any unoccupied starting position of that player and it is then free to roam the playing cover sheet attacking the other players markers. The warrior can move in any direction desired jumping over any playing piece marker in its line.

In order for a warrior or pawn to eliminate opposing pawns and warriors, it must land on the opposing player's markers by an exact roll of the proper number on the die. In placing ones marker on an opponents, care must be taken to assure that the markers do not fall through immediately. The double-decker must endure until it is the same player's turn again and he has also rolled the die. The right to retrieve the warrior or pawn is lost should the marker fall through too soon. If the doubleheader has survived, the player can then exercise the right to use the Zapper playing stick for pounding upon the bottom of the horizontal platform in the game board. The right to use the zapper" for pounding is restricted to when the player is on the top position of one or more doubledeckers. The number of pounds is decided by the roll of the die. The zapper" playing stick is inserted in the slot along the vertical wall of the game board next to the player and grasped by the handle from the side in the V formed by the first and second fingers. A relaxed upward motion and sharp downward snap will bring the tip of the pounder into sharp contact with the bottom of the platform. The player may pound the number of times rolled on the die and must stop pounding once the doubledecker or doubledeckers have fallen through. Once the doubleheaders fall through into the water, the player may retrieve his sunken warrior and position it on a vacant square next to the hole where it sank. This is accomplished by sticking the tip of the zapper" with the magnet at its tip into the cell of the grid and picking up the metal playing piece marker.

The play continues much in the same manner until a player has only one playing piece left when special rules are then implemented. The winner of the game is the last player still having a playing piece on top of the playing cover sheet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the game apparatus; and

FIG. 2 is a cross section taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Looking now to FIGS. 1 and 2 the game board is generally designated numeral 11. It is comprised of four vertical wall members 12 formed in the shape of a box. A horizontal platform 14 spaced downwardly from the top of the walls forms a well 16 into which grid section 18 is inserted. As illustrated, the grid section is removable but it could also be permanently inserted in the well. Resilient ledge bars 20 are used to keep the grid section pressed into its proper fixed position. Centrally within the grid section is a solid plug 22 that extends from top to bottom, making the grid section reversible. Beneath the grid section are a plurality of spacers 24 that extend partially across the width of the bottom of the well. These allow water poured into any one of the cells of the grid to freely pass through flow passages 25 to fill the water throughout the grid to an even level. The spacer means could also be in the form of small ledges extending out from opposite sides along the bottom of the well upon which the grid could rest. The height which the grid is raised above the bottom of the well is less than the height of the playing piece markers 30 that are used so that they do not slide into an adjacent cell in the grid when they fall into the water.

In preparing to play the game, water is poured into the well until the grid is completely covered by a very thin film of water. Next a playing cover sheet 26 is placed in the game board on top of the grid. The cover sheet is made of a water absorbent material, for example, such as that used in paper towels. The preferred material of the grid is a dark plastic which would readily identify the individual cells of the grid beneath the cover sheet. As seen in FIG. 1, the cover sheet shown has the grid pattern marked thereon; however where the grid is easily seen beneath the cover sheet, the cover sheet may be unmarked. As seen in FIG. I, ten starting positions for one of the players are indicated by the numeral 30. A few sample moves have been illustrated in dotted lines to show possible paths to the center of the playing board to make a pawn into a war- The zapper" described in the summary is playing stick 35 which is best illustrated in FIG. 2. It has a handle portion 36 and neck 37. A magnet 38 is mounted at the end of the neck for ease in picking the metal playing piece markers out of the cells of the grid. When used to zap another players marker through the cover sheet the Zapper is inserted in one of the vertical wall apertures 32 and pounded on the bottom of the platform as previously described.

The remaining parts of the game apparatus are the playing piece markers 30 and the die 31. The markets are preferably made from metal to give them sufficient mass and of a size to easily drop into the cells of the grid without becoming wedged therein. What is claimed is:

1. A game apparatus comprising a game board having at least four vertical walls and a substantially horizontal platform spaced downwardly from the top of said walls and attached thereto to form a well into which water may be poured, said horizontal platform being also spaced upwardly from the bottom of said walls to form a cavity in the bottom of said game board, said walls having at least one aperture positioned below said horizontal platform in one of the vertical walls providing a bearing guide for a playing stick thereby providing access to said cavity from outside said game board, a playing stick extending through said aperture, a grid within said well with its openings vertically oriented, the vertical height of the walls of said grid being less than the depth of said well, flow passage means for allowing liquid poured into the grid to flow from one cell to another whereby it is not necessary to individually fill each cell.

2. A game apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said stick is elongated and has a neck portion of size smaller than the aperture in the vertical wall whereby the neck of the stick may be freely inserted in said aperture.

3. A game apparatus as recited in claim 2 further comprising a magnet attached to the end of said stick.

4. A game apparatus as recited in claim 3 further comprising a pluraility of metal playing piece markers.

5. A game apparatus comprising a game board having at least four vertical walls and a substantially horizontal platform spaced downwardly from the top of said walls and attached thereto to form a well into which water may be poured, a grid within said well with its open network vertically oriented, the vertical height of the walls of said grid being less than the depth of said well, flow passage means for allowing liquid poured into the grid to flow from one cell to another whereby it is not necessary to individually fill each cell, and a water absorbent playing cover detachably positioned on top of said grid and of a character to yield to weight placed thereon because of shock produced by striking the bottom of the game board. 

1. A game apparatus comprising a game board having at least four vertical walls and a substantially horizontal platform spaced downwardly from the top of said walls and attached thereto to form a well into which water may be poured, said horizontal platform being also spaced upwardly from the bottom of said walls to form a cavity in the bottom of said game board, said walls having at least one aperture positioned below said horizontal platform in one of the vertical walls providing a bearing guide for a playing stick thereby providing access to said cavity from outside said game board, a playing stick extending through said aperture, a grid within said well with its openings vertically oriented, the vertical height of the walls of said grid being less than the depth of said well, flow passage means for allowing liquid poured into the grid to flow from one cell to another whereby it is not necessary to individually fill each cell.
 2. A game apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said stick is elongated and has a neck portion of size smaller than the aperture in the vertical wall whereby the neck of the stick may be freely inserted in said aperture.
 3. A game apparatus as recited in claim 2 further comprising a magnet attached to the end of said stick.
 4. A game apparatus as recited in claim 3 further comprising a pluraility of metal playing piece markers.
 5. A game apparatus comprising a game board having at least four vertical walls and a substantially horizontal platform spaced downwardly from the top of said walls and attached thereto to form a well into which water may be poured, a grid within said well with its open network vertically oriented, the vertical height of the walls of said grid being less than the depth of said well, flow passage meAns for allowing liquid poured into the grid to flow from one cell to another whereby it is not necessary to individually fill each cell, and a water absorbent playing cover detachably positioned on top of said grid and of a character to yield to weight placed thereon because of shock produced by striking the bottom of the game board. 